


For love ain't nothing but a battlefield

by bloodysteel



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-08
Updated: 2014-09-08
Packaged: 2018-02-16 16:29:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2276679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodysteel/pseuds/bloodysteel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Chapters for my fic Venomous Claws (will be preceeded with the mention "VC") and prompts originally posted on tumblr :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	For love ain't nothing but a battlefield

Ned could never forget that moment - the one all smiles died when Rhaegar Targaryen rode past his wife, Elia Martell, to land the crown of winter roses on Lyanna's lap. She did not reach for it, she just stared at him blankly mouthing a quiet "no". She shivered and looked down. She could not face the hurt on Elia's face - and most of all, she could not read the disappointment and the anger on Oberyn's.

No one cheered as Rhaegar left the arena for the stables. People started to rise and leave, one by one, and whispers filled the silence. They were talking about her, she was on everyone's lips.

They remained seated until they were almost alone. Robert was boiling. He slowly turned around to yell at Lyanna but Ned's hand on his shoulder and Brandon's glare stopped him.

"I want to go, right now." Lyanna said. She was dead pale white. Brandon helped her up and then she stood up straight, her head raised high as a queen. They made their way to their tent and everyone was looking down on them. But Lyanna did not care about their gossips. She wanted to run to the castle and let her herself fall to her knees before Elia to beg for her forgiveness. She was her friend and she was hurt because of her. Why would Rhaegar crown her Queen of love and beauty? She was not that beautiful and he knew that would bring shame on her and Elia.

"I must go find Elia." She stated as Brandon closed the curtain of her tent behind him. "I don't understand why Rhaegar crowned me, that makes no sense. We barely talked to each other and he knew I was to be Elia's lady-in-waiting."

"You won't. You'll be packing now." Brandon said in a harsh tone. "We're leaving in an hour. You'll go to Riverrun with Catelyn and her sister Lysa. You can't be in Rhaegar's presence ever again." She was about to replicate but Brandon left and Ned stopped her from doing so. Robert and Benjen were still with them. The latter followed his older brother whereas Ned decided to stay in order to handle the conversation to come between his sister and her betrothed.

"My cousin is a romantic and a weird man. I bet he saw something in you and started to believe there was some kind of connection between you two. I _choose_ to believe that, Lyanna. I hope you will show me I am right to." And he left her too. She crashed on her bed and Ned sat by her side. She let her head rest on his shoulder but she could not cry.

"I swear I did nothing wrong with the Prince, Ned. You believe me, don't you? I don't love Rhaegar - nor Robert to be honest." She sighed. He took her in his arms and she let herself go. She imagined it was someone else - someone with a darker skin, darker eyes and a much wicked personnality. He would never talk to her anymore. She would not know the sweet life Elia promised her in King's Landing with Ashara's laugh and Lynesse's wit.

She hated Rhaegar Targaryen.

__

Pots hit the floor and shattered in many pieces as Oberyn was shouting and grunting. His own sister had locked him up in his chambers. He was guarded by their uncle - Lewyn found this situation quite funny even though he was almost as mad at Rhaegar for what he did to his niece - and Arthur Dayne - who kept mocking Oberyn through the wooden door.

Elia was waiting for Rhaegar in her solace. Ashara and Lynesse had made sure no knife or cutting device remained in the room - but they knew better, a princess of Dorne always carries her weapons on her.

When he eventually arrived, she did not stand as she should have. She stared at him with her deep brown eyes and her brows furrowed. He smiled awkwardly and kneeled before her, reaching for her hand to kiss. She refused him the pleasure and waited silently for him to start talking.

"She is the Knight of the Laughing Tree, my love. She deserved some recognition for I am pretty sure she could have dismounted me. This is the only award a woman can hope to win in a tourney. You will be queen of Westeros and you are mine, the one ruling over my heart and my life. I thought you knew me well enough to trust me and know I had good reasons to do what I did." Elia's traits softened and she caressed his hair. Of course, it all made sense. Her absence at the tourney that morning, the ill-fitting armor, the small size of the knight and the horse - she knew this horse. She knew it for it looked like - oh no.

She rose. "I understand and I forgive you. You must talk to your cousin, I can't have this affair ruining Lyanna's betrothal. I will calm down my brother. I believe he wants to cut you in tiny little pieces and if my uncle was not one of your sworn knights, he would help him." Elia chuckled and then left the room. Rhaegar asked the White Bull after his cousin and sat on Elia's armchair. He sighed and realized he had made a mistake - one he hoped would be fixed soon.  
  
__

"Can I kill him now or have you done it yourself?" Oberyn asked her with a dark smirk. Elia laughed and made him sit by her side. She forced him to remain seated through the whole story. Like her, Oberyn calmed down hearing Rhaegar's reason - for he understood them better than Elia could. He believed he would have done the same, had he won the tourney himself. Lyanna deserved the honors in this tourney - but there she only got shame.

"But you did not look surprise when I said Lyanna was the mysterious knight... Is it because she was riding Obara's sand horse?" She asked - falsely - genuinely. Oberyn stiffened but he did not deny it. He admitted Obara helped Lyanna along with her little brother Benjen.

"I was wondering, dear brother, what unnerved you the most, that he did not crown me or that he crowned her?" He glared at her and grunted - than denied. Elia chuckled and he could not help but smile hearing that soft sound he missed so dearly.  


"Lyanna is too young to mean anything to me, Elia. She is barely five years older than Obara! I only want women grown, I can't have children." Elia's smile faded. He was pushing the northern girl away so badly, she could see on his face he wanted her as bad. She would have been happy for him - for them, Lyanna would have loved Dorne and Oberyn would have never bound her like Robert would.

But she was betrothed to Rhaegar's cousin, the Lord of Storm's End, Robert Baratheon.

"Lyanna is not a girl anymore. Whatever you do, do not lie to yourself or to me, Oberyn. You can't have her but it does not mean you have to suffer from it." Oberyn shook his head and smirked. Elia knew he had put his mask on and he would not let her read him. Her brother was hurt - and therefore so was she.

"Since when do you worry about my affairs, El? I'm a grown man and even though my people think I am too impulsive and headstrong, I have a brain and I know how to use it." She smiled at the nickname he used to give her when they were kids in the Water Gardens.

"Sometimes it is when you use your brain that I worry the most. At least, tell me you're not playing with her. She is lovely and Obara likes her as much as I do, we would not forgive you if you hurt her." She asked.

The corners of his mouth trembled and his smirk went down. "It started like a game, yes. But I realized she was different and she did not deserve such treatment - even though it could have been quite amusing to witness Robert's reaction to her falling for me. That bastard stag does not deserve her." He muttered the last sentence under his breath clenching his fists. Elia nodded sadly and hoped Robert would treat Lyanna right.

Someone knocked at the door but before they could answer, Rhaegar strode in the room. Oberyn glared at him but did not make any aggressive gesture. Elia rose to greet her husband and frowned at his concerned face.

"The Northerners and my cousin. They're gone and they were angry."


End file.
